The air was crisp and there was a distinct sound of rabbits burrowing in their holes. He raised his head and sniffed the air. No gunpowder; hunting season hadn’t started yet. There was only the sharp tang of blood, blood and adrenaline pumping, and fallen leaves. He padded slowly across the field and turned his head this way and that.

            His ears perked when he heard the familiar rustle of fur against grass. He leaned forward slightly and rested on his hunches. His eyes were sharp as he scanned the meadow. No sign of his prey yet. His stomach growled and he let out a tiny whinny. This was not the time to get distracted. Food would appear soon enough.

            He raised a paw and there it came. He sprang up in the air and ran after the rabbit. He could hear the adrenaline, the fear coursing through its veins and he snapped his teeth, so close only to be distracted by another low keen.

            The rabbit escaped the second he hesitated and he muttered a low growl. But the noise was even more intriguing. It was a low , a different kind of despair than the survival instinct that came from the animal. He could feel the fox in him slowly slipping away as he took in the emotion from this noise.

            He padded carefully, listening for where it came from. The human side of him identified this as fear and desperation and he decided to remain in fox form to keep from giving himself away just in case. They still hunted fox spirits.

            Jongup padded his way and felt the grass disappear as he entered a wasteland. There was a large tree and he could see a figure near it. There was another despairing cry and he walked forward. He could see that it was clearly a human girl.

            She was dressed in a thin white nightdress and there appeared to be a rope tied around her. He came forward to see her better and saw that she was crying. She was also beautiful. His breath caught and all of his animal instincts fell away as he emerged from fox form. It was temporarily disorientating as all his senses receded and he was left with the weaker human sense of smell and sight.

            He shook his head to get used to the sensation before walking closer to her. She was sobbing softly. Her arms were tied to her back and she was strapped to the tree. He waved a hand before her and was puzzled. Surely, this was someone who had seen a fox turn into a human. Why was she still only crying and not screaming?

            He tried to talk but it only came out in the yips of a fox. Jongup turned his head and coughed, trying to channel his voice box. “Who are you?” The words came out at last.

            She turned her head towards him and he was convinced she saw him. Nobody could pinpoint his existence so clearly without having seen him. “No, please. I can’t see. You don’t want me,” she was pleading softly with him. Her face was twisted and he could tell that she was trying to twist her body away. “Please, let me go. I don’t have a family who can give you anything anyway.”

            His jaw clenched and he took a step back. In the animal world, this was when she might lash out at him. Her words stood out to him. She couldn’t see. He examined her closely and saw that indeed. Her eyes were vacant and slightly clouded over. She must have heightened her senses too, since she could tell where he was immediately.

            He gently brought a knuckle to her cheek and she tried to snap at his fingers. He growled and dropped to his knees, ready to attack, before remembering that she was a hopeless human. He got up again and decided to speak to her.

            “You’re okay. I don’t know who captured you, but you must have been really easy prey. He’s not here anymore.”

            Her lips twisted as she tried to compute the fact that this was someone different. He shushed her as she started to whimper and he stood behind the tree to find the knot that was holding her. He undid it and came forward to catch her before she fell. She gasped as she felt herself becoming freed and shook in his hold.

            “Please, don’t touch me. I can’t give you anything,” she was still pleading with him and Jongup’s heart wrenched.

            “I won’t touch you,” he soothed her and let go of her. He propped her against the tree and watched her rub her wrists as she tried to get circulation back. Her face was still untrusting. He fell back a little, despite the fact that she couldn’t see him. He wanted to give her her space.

            She held her knees and rocked back and forth, whimpering a little as she finally comprehended that she was free. “Are you hungry?” he asked her and decided that if she was, he would go hunt for her. She shook her head and he yipped a little.

            She reached a hand out and he daringly stepped forward. She touched his face and he stood still, not wanting to startle her. “Am I really free?” she whispered.

            “Yes. If you like, I can take you home and take care of you.”

            She trembled. “I have nobody left.”

            He sighed and sat next to her, offering her his warmth. “I know. Which is why I’m going to take care of you.” He felt this compelling need to be with her as her hand stole into the crook of his elbow. She leaned her head against his shoulder and he felt her hot tears drip on his arm.

            “He came out of nowhere and killed my parents. I don’t know what he wants but he wouldn’t stop touching me,” she was crying.

            Jongup’s protective side flared and he fell into a crouch before realizing that she was still on him. He pushed away some of the tears on her cheeks and gently kissed her soft skin. She shook with his touch and his heart pounded. “I’ll find him and I’ll hunt him down for you. But that can wait until after I’ve taken you back.”

            She nodded and he scooped her up easily in his arms. “I promise, I won’t hurt you.” He comforted her and for the first time that night, she seemed to relax a little and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He nipped her neck in the fox way of showing affection and was warmed to see her smile.

this is something new

I wish I could have time to expand on it and make it longer though >~<